FULL POEM - SCROLL DOWN FOR LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS
I am not de problem
But I bare de brunt
Of silly playground taunts
An racist stunts,
I am not de problem
I am a born academic
But dey got me on de run
Now I am branded athletic,
I am not de problem
If yu give I a chance
I can teach yu of Timbuktu
I can do more dan dance,
I am not de problem
I greet yu wid a smile
Yu put me in a pigeon hole
But I a versatile.
These conditions may affect me
As I get older,
An I am positively sure
I have no chips on me shoulders,
Black is not de problem
Mother country get it right,
An just for de record,
Sum of me best friends are white
SUMMARY AND CONTEXT
Benjamin Zephaniah was born and raised in Birmingham, England. Many of his poems, including ‘No Problem’ address the issue of racism, taking inspiration from his own experiences of living and growing up in England with Afro-Caribbean heritage. ‘No Problem’ focuses, especially, on the racism he endured as a schoolboy in Birmingham – recounting the ‘silly playground taunts’ and ‘racist stunts’ that he suffered. Written in 1996, the poem’s primary aim is to tackle modern racism, which Zephaniah describes as being ‘more subtle’ than in the past. He says that ‘yes, society is a lot more tolerant than it was 50 years ago but there is still work to do. The struggle continues’. The poem raises awareness about this continued struggle.
TONE
‘No Problem’ features Zephaniah’s distinctive tone, inspired and influenced by his Jamaican heritage and the music, poetry and street politics there. This tone is found throughout his body of work. When spoken aloud it captures the accent, musicality and rhythm of Jamaican music and poetry.
LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS
STANZA 1
I am not de problem
This line is a refrain that is repeated throughout the poem. Zephaniah’s use of the personal pronoun ‘I’ as the opening word, evokes an immediately personal tone that is maintained throughout due to its repetition.
But I bare de brunt
The speaker declares that, despite his innocence, he is persecuted because of his race. Those that act oppressively towards him believing that he is the ‘problem’ are really at fault themselves.
Of silly playground taunts
An racist stunts,
I am not de problem
I am a born academic
But dey got me on de run
Now I am branded athletic,
As mentioned in the summary, the racism that Zephaniah experienced as a schoolboy is a key focus in this poem. Not only did he suffer persecution with his pears who directed ‘silly playground taunts’ and ‘racist stunts’ towards him, but from his teachers also who pigeonholed his talents as lying only in athletics and not academia due to his race. This stereotyping is institutional racism, subtle but nonetheless damaging. ‘On de run’ is a reference to the stereotype of young black males being more likely to be involved in criminal activity and running from the police.
I am not de problem
If yu give I a chance
The speaker is not the problem, the problem lies with those racially pigeonholing him and not giving him an opportunity to express and act like himself, as a unique person with unique qualities.
I can teach yu of Timbuktu
I can do more dan dance,
The line ‘I can teach you of Timbuktu’ links to the line where the speaker described himself as a ‘born academic’. Timbuktu is a city in Mali, famous to Europeans for its mystery. Historically, it was established as a scholarly centre in Africa thanks to its important book trade together with its Islamic university, Sankore Madrasah. Zephaniah, therefore, employs the city as a symbol for the speaker’s academic prowess by virtue of his knowledge of this mysterious, academic city that those around him would be ignorant to. This illustrates the fact that the racial stereotypes, of which being a good dancer is one, are an injustice to the speaker.
I am not de problem
I greet yu wid a smile
Yu put me in a pigeon hole
But I a versatile.
His smile is a metaphor for his blamelessness in the situation – the speaker’s only intentions are well-meaning and it is those of the people that ‘put [him] in a pigeon hole (stereotype him)’ that are not. The speaker is defiant, however, and combats this, responding he is ‘versatile’. Deep down he knows that he is not defined or confined by stereotypes enforced by the people and institutions surrounding him.
STANZA 2
These conditions may affect me
As I get older,
Having just declared his defiance, the beginning of the second stanza is quite harrowing for the reader as the tone shifts from quite optimistic to serious, and they learn that the impacts of racism on the speaker extend into the long-term – far beyond the instance itself.
An I am positively sure
I have no chips on me shoulders,
Black is not de problem
To have a chip on one’s shoulders is an idiom referring to holding a grudge against someone. Surprisingly, the speaker has none – acting like the bigger man, owing to his knowledge that his race is not the problem, but those that vindicate him for it are.
Mother country get it right,
Zephaniah refers to England as the ‘Mother country’ which is applicable due to England’s relation with its colonies, with Britain historically being the great colonial power. It alludes to the prior mistreatment of Africans by the British during colonial times.
An just for de record,
Sum of me best friends are white
The conclusion to the poem has a humorous tone and sees the speaker taking the upper hand over those he is addressing. Again, any racial division is not down to him, clearly illustrated by the fact that ‘some of his best friends are white’, but those that are racist towards him. In other words, he is not the problem.
